If you’ve been paying attention, parenting and tech are a high priority at DaleDumbsITDown. There is an extensive ecosystem of safeties, dangers, and incredible information so family safety with tech is so important and should be a high priority in the home. We’ve already addressed how to create a child account for Windows 10, but with the launch of Windows 11, it’s again vital to know how to set up, install, and configure the parental controls for this new version of Windows. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up and using parental controls in Windows 11.
How To Install and Configure Parental Controls In Windows 11
Windows 11 is now readily available to everyone and it includes many new and improved features and benefits. Out of the gate, we love this new version of Windows for a variety of reasons, chief among them building on its ability for parental controls. It has made it easier to configure various parental control features. You can limit activity on your child’s account using the parental control capabilities included in Windows 11.
We love that tech companies are putting an emphasis on parental controls now more than ever. This involves setting screen time limits, limiting access to websites, applications, and games, and imposing purchasing limitations. If you’re unsure of how to get started, this step-by-step guide is for you. In this Windows 11 Parental Control Guide, we will go through how to use parental controls in Windows 11 and a little into the principles behind setting up parental controls on any of your devices.
Below are several features and steps to maximizing the parenting controls for Windows 11. First things first: Setting up a Child Account.
Keep in mind that both the parent and kid accounts must have their own Microsoft accounts. You can use the same account you did when setting up other accounts in previous versions of Windows.
Easy Steps To Creating A Child Account For Windows 11
When you create a new child account for Windows 11, you will be prompted to create a new Microsoft account to link to the child’s account.
Here are the primary steps for creating a child account in Windows 11:
On Windows 11, open Windows Settings by hitting the Windows and ‘I’ keys at the same time.
You can also click on the Start menu and then select the Settings app.
Go to the Accounts tab or click on your account from the top.
Select the Family and other users option.
Click the Add account button, which is located next to the Add a family member option.
Then click on the “Create one for a child” button.
Enter the email address associated with the child’s account and click Next.
Enter the password and click Next.
Enter a name and then press the Next button.
Choose the child’s nationality, input the child’s birthdate, and then click Next.
The birthdate essentially allows Windows 11 to enforce age-based limitations automatically. It’s a nice feature we like, so it’s best to add it.
Finally, click the Next button, and the kid account will be established and linked to your existing account.
In the future, you can change the account type or disable sign-in for the newly formed child account by navigating to your Account Settings.
Configuring The Parent Control Settings
After creating your kid’s account, you must configure parental control settings to prohibit specific websites and other potentially harmful information your kid might be able to access (whether intentionally or by accident). This is a golden feature of parental controls with Windows 11. We love that Microsoft is making these kinds of features a priority with each new version they launch.
The following are the key steps for configuring parental controls in Windows 11:
Navigate to Settings then Accounts then Family & additional users.
Select the option Manage family settings online or remove an account. It is possible you might not be logged on to your Microsoft account.
On this new browser page, click Sign in.
Write your email phone or skype account and click next.
Write your password and click Sign in.
Here is a really important part: If you only use this computer you can stay signed in if not click No.
Choose the kid account for which you wish to enable parental restrictions.
You can click on the 3 dots menu and click on Go to overview. This is when you’ll be able to really customize your parental settings for each kid account.
On this page, you will be able to establish a screen time limit, use content filters to restrict websites apps + games, and enable spending reports and other spending controls. On the Family Safety page of your child’s account, you will find many tabs on the left panel, such as screen time, content filtering, and spending. You can configure each of these variables individually and according to your needs. As we’ve discussed in previous articles (depending on how old your child is), it’s important to discuss with them some of the parental settings and controls you place on their devices. The key is to be open and honest and explain the why behind your actions. Another key point is kids don’t need to know every choice you make as a parent, especially involving tech. BUT…it’s still important to have those healthy conversations with your family about the proper use of the technology that is a major part of our lives.
Configuring Screen Time Limits In Windows 11
To configure screen time limitations:
First, go to the Screen Time page and enable the “Use One Schedule on all devices” toggle.
From here, you will be able to set a daily screen time limit. A little tip here always starts small. Giving your kid a lot of time out of the gate may not be the smart option from the get-go. You can also select the” Everyday option” if you wish to have the same routine every day.
Simply select a specific day and then a time limit. This will allow you to adjust or create additional schedules to allow your child to use the account only during that time span.
Again…these added customization layers are such an awesome feature of Windows 11!
Creating A Schedule For Your Child’s Account In Windows 11
To create a new time schedule:
Select the “Add a schedule” option and enter the time period for the child account’s usage. You can add several time periods this way and increase the screen time limitations.
Click the Done button.
Next, navigate to the Content filters page and toggle the Filter inappropriate websites and searches option under the Web and Search area.
This enables SafeSearch with Bing and blocks any mature content on a child’s account.
Enabling And Allowing Websites On Your Child’s Windows Account
On the flip side, if you simply want to enable specific websites they can visit (like your favorite 10 age-appropriate sites), you can use the “Only Utilize Permitted Websites” option.
To add websites that you want to allow on the child account, click the Add a website (+) option located under Allowed sites. Similarly, you can restrict access to specific websites by clicking the Add a website (+) option under Blocked sites. Furthermore, you can enable activity reporting to see and track searches and web activity on your child’s account.
Again, this level of parental control and tracking are the kinds of features we should expect with devices entering the market in the 2020s.
Restricting Apps and Game In Your Child’s Account
There are still a few more filtering options to enable and enhance. In the same Content filtering menu, navigate to the “Apps and Games” area.
You can set an age limit here to enable only age-restricted apps and games on your child’s account. If your child requests access to a certain app, you will be prompted to do so. You have the option of granting or denying the requested access.
If you’ve ever enabled screen time tracking and features on an iPhone with your children, it operates the same way.
What about an app that you’ve previously blocked? If you want to allow access to an automatically blocked app, go to the “Blocked Apps” section and click the “Remove” option.
What about spending? Next, you’ll want to find the Spending page and enable the activity report for your child’s device spending. Again…you won’t want to skip over this. To enable this feature, turn on the “Turn on activity reporting” toggle in this tab. From here, you can block your child from making purchases of any kind, set spending limits (yes, this is a feature some parents love), and enable spending notifications. You can also look into payment methods from this page.
Find Your Family On A Map With Microsoft
Microsoft provides a “Find Your Family On a Map” tool, which allows you to use the Family Safety mobile app to check the real-time location of your child or another family member. Before you panic at the idea of having Microsoft track your kid, push pause for a minute. Your devices are already tracking you. This is just par for the course with smart devices in this day and age. The Family Safety mobile app is free for iPhone and Android users. Once you have this feature enabled in parental controls in Windows 11, just log out from your main account and leave your child to connect to the newly created account. Simply sign in with the new account created for your child and Windows 11 will guide you through the process. After you have configured the account your children can easily use this account on the computer and you don’t have to worry…as much.
Some Parting Words Of Tech Parenting Advice
Even though we set up parenting controls and have all the settings and configurations enabled, it’s still not a replacement for responsible parenting. It’s still vital to have normal, healthy, and consistent conversations with your family about our smart devices. Make these conversations a part of your family’s culture. They’re important. It’s also really important to not allow your kid to use your personal account as this will not protect them. Do not share your password with your children because it defeats the purpose of setting all of this up. We hope this guide has been useful in configuring and using parental controls in Windows 11 for your family. For more information on family safety with tech, follow our blog with regular updates to help your family.
Trying to parent your child’s gaming behavior can be really difficult. We wanted to share six of our favorite parenting principles for managing their gaming habits. We also talk about some crazy myths some people believe about gaming and children and how we can actually leverage technology to empower our kids and help shape them into the adults we hope they become. Here are six principles to use to help you on your quest with parenting your gamer. It’s not easy. There’s not one simple, cookie-cutter approach to how we’re supposed to govern our children as they engage with video games. What works for one family may not work for another, so it’ll take a little ingenuity and customization on your part. But at least we share a handful of fundamental principles to work from.
Get Over Your Technophobia
Yeah, we’re talking to you, parents.
Can video games be a problem? Absolutely.
But there is a growing trend amongst parents that any new technology is going to rot our children’s brains. Gaming gets lumped into this all too often. It’s simply not true. This myth has been evolving each decade with new technology and new innovations in the gaming world. The media feeds this hysteria and phobia and despite it being debunked time and time again, some parents still believe it. While we don’t mean to poke fun at people who legitimately have technophobia, there is a pervading misconception about video games.
No, video games do not cause violence. There are millions and millions of people who log millions and millions of hours every DAY on video games and about 99.99% of them don’t commit a single violent act in their entire lifetime. It’s a myth. There’s zero correlation on a macro-societal level that video games do all this harm they’re purported to have.
“Video games aren’t rotting our children’s brains.” It’s not turning them into “unproductive citizens” or any of that hogwash. There are dangers to over-playing and spending way too much time or getting way too emotionally involved in video games, but for the most part, there is a lot of good that can come from them.
One of the pet peeves we hear all too often is “Don’t use video games as a reward.” And that drives us nuts because we use video games as a reward for a long day at work. Heck…your spouse says “If you get the lawn mowed and edged you can play Madden an hour.” Guess what? It works. The yard looks great and I get some gaming in. We want to be careful of how much of a reward it is and if it is the ONLY reward we use for good behavior. But telling your kid they can have an hour of gaming if they do the dishes or read a book for an hour in return is hardly a reason to signal the alarms of some psychological problem. Avoiding using video games as a reward is just a buzz-worthy and trendy parenting myth right now. Don’t fall for it. We’d also argue that it’s okay to let your kids have video gaming time just to have the time. In other words, if they always have to do something to unlock video game time, what message are you sending your kid? Just being able to play for 20-30 minutes a day without having it be a reward is perfectly fine.
Enable and Implement Parental Controls
This is a no-brainer, yet it would shock you how many parents don’t enable parental controls. Some games (like Fortnite), have parental controls built into the software, but many times the parental controls will be set at the platform/device level. If you’re not enabling parental controls with your kid’s gaming behavior, you need to. Aside from protecting them from outside dangers (which do exist), parental controls allow you to set limits on things like ratings (more on that below), time limit enforcement, and things like in-app purchases. Most games and gaming platforms and devices have some kind of parental control. We talked earlier about the Oculus Quest VR headset and its lack of parental controls, but for the most part parental controls are going to be there. You just have to find them and go the extra mile to understand them and enable them. Guess what? Sometimes it’s not an easy “set it and forget it” parental control. Sometimes you have to monitor what’s going on here and there. But an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Cliche? Yes, but it’s true, especially with gaming. If they don’t have them, then you need to look at other solutions like what features your router offers or a device like Firewalla. Granted these don’t have controls like “Don’t allow gore or swearing”, but they can help you control the time aspect of gaming.
Awareness Is Important
Not just for you as a parent to be aware of what your children are doing on video games, but also for teaching them to be aware. Teaching your youngsters to practice a little meta-cognition as it relates to gaming is vital. A couple of questions to have them review each time are: How long am I playing (How long did I play)? How does gaming affect my mood/behavior? These are two really easy questions to memorize and easy to answer. And it will surprise you (especially if you engage in these questions with them) what conclusions your kids will come to.
For example, we had our teen stop playing Fortnite because he said he was always angry and upset after each session or would respond negatively when we told him to stop playing. Does this mean Fortnite is a horrible game and teens shouldn’t be playing it? Not at all. But for one teen, it wasn’t working out for him. By letting him come to this conclusion, it put him in charge of his own emotions and behavior and a valuable skill was learned which we believe and are hopeful will turn out to be a life-long awareness.
Teaching our children to be aware and fully present with how they’re spending their time (and not just with gaming, but really with anything) on a specific task is generally a good skill to build. Once again, technology isn’t bad and if we’re smart we can leverage a lot of good out from it. A little hack we did that helped raise the level of awareness of how long our kid was playing video games was a simple Cube Timer we got from Amazon. We call it our “Gamer Cube”.
This really helped our kids become aware of how long they were playing and engaging with technology. Whenever we are doing something we really enjoy, time flies by so quickly. Gaming is no different. There’s actually brain science behind this concept and this little gamer cube taught our kids how 30 minutes playing video games feels a lot different than 30 minutes not playing video games. At first, their reaction will be “There’s no way that was 30 minutes!” They’ll most likely become mad at the timer and even accuse you of buying one with shorter times to finagle them out of more playing time. It’s quite funny. But after a while, they become aware of how important 30 or even 60 minutes of video game time means to them. Don’t be surprised if they begin to value their time a little more. Again, we can leverage gaming to teach our kids a valuable lesson in time management.
Engage In Conversations With Your Kids About Their Gaming Experience
This one is so easy, but so many parents don’t do it. Personally, we think most parents don’t know how to talk to them about gaming. It’s rather simple.
Some of the best questions to ask are:
What game did you play?
Did you play it with any of your friends/buddies?
I noticed you play that game a lot, why do you like that game?
Is there something about it you love?
Are there any new games up and coming that you’re interested in?
The goal is to get them talking about their experience with gaming. It’s also a great way to connect with your kids. It shows them you care as a parent. If they don’t want to engage at first and have a conversation, that’s normal. It’ll take time to build that environment and culture of talking. But once you do get into a rhythm, you’ll pick up on things both positive and negative and be able to respond appropriately. There are some potentially crazy and dangerous things that can happen in the world of gaming and technology. Just a little bit of dialogue and conversations could help prevent and solve a lot of the craziness.
Collaborate On A Screen Time Plan
The keyword here is “collaborate”. When you come up with a screen time plan with gaming together, collaboratively with your child, they are more likely to buy into it. It’s going to be more effective as well. Detail out what kinds of games are acceptable based on their age. Agree on how many hours a week is healthy. Talk about the ratings and what’s appropriate. Be open and honest about your concerns. Ask them about their concerns. The key is you don’t want to make yourself the enemy. When you collaborate with your child, they are more likely to buy into the plan.
Parenting Your Gamer: Know The Gaming Ratings
Again…this is such an easy thing to take advantage of. You might have to spend a little bit of time to understand these ratings, but they’re rather straightforward. For the most part, these ratings are solid in their appropriateness for each age and every game should have a rating accompanied with it. There are 5 main ESRB ratings you need to be aware of. They are as followed:
E (Everyone)
Content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy, or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
E 10+ (Everyone 10+)
Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes.
T (Teen)
Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.
M (Mature 17+)
Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.
Adults Only 18+
Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content, and/or gambling with real currency.
Furthermore, there are what they call “Pending Ratings” you should also be aware of if you’re going to let your family do some gaming:
RP (Rating Pending)
Not yet assigned a final ESRB rating. Appears only in advertising, marketing, and promotional materials related to a physical (e.g., boxed) video game that is expected to carry an ESRB rating, and should be replaced by a game’s rating once it has been assigned.
RP 17+ (Rating Pending Likely Mature 17+)
Not yet assigned a final ESRB rating but anticipated to be rated Mature 17+. Appears only in advertising, marketing, and promotional materials related to a physical (e.g., boxed) video game that is expected to carry an ESRB rating, and should be replaced by a game’s rating once it has been assigned. You can find more information on ratings from the Entertainment Software Rating Board here. If you have a gamer in the family, we HIGHLY suggest you spend some time reviewing the content here and even having discussions with your family about ratings and the kinds of acceptable content that are permitted in your home. The ESRB page on video game ratings details the ratings summaries, content descriptors, and the kinds of interactive elements (online features) that you should be aware of.
Show me a child with a phone/tablet and no limitation, and I’ll show you a child that struggles with some type of addictive behavior. But, come on, even us adults will struggle if we don’t understand our limitations. That being said, let’s talk about Apple’s Screen Time.
If you haven’t set up Screen Time on your Apple devices, you’re missing out on one of the best functions of Apple’s iOS. Indeed, one of the best features of Apple’s iOS is the Screen Time program. This easy-to-set-up feature is one of the best tools for parents to help manage their family’s access to the web, apps, and just general parental controls. Granted, it’ll only work with other Apple devices. For example, if you’re trying to work Screen Time from your iPhone on your kid’s Android device, it won’t work. With Screen Time, you can keep an eye on how your kids spend time on their devices, and you can also set limits to help them get the right balance. It’s not a high-level, intrusive program but a workable alternative if you’re looking for something to help manage your family’s time on their devices.
What It Does. What It Doesn’t.
Screen time will allow you to place restrictions on apps, schedule downtime, create content restrictions, give you reports on how you’re using your devices, and a bunch of useful functions to help manage your screen time. What it won’t do is monitor who your kids are calling (although you can place restrictions on contacts). It won’t monitor what they’re saying in text messages. If you’re trying to use Screen Time to do those kinds of functions, you won’t find it. Instead, you’ll need something like Bark, OurPact, Circle, or MMGuardian.
Setting Up Screen Time
To set up Screen Time on your kid’s device, they will need to have their own Apple ID. You both need to be part of the same Family Group in Family Sharing as well. You also need to turn on Screen Time on your child’s device, which you can do from your iPhone (or your iPad). We prefer doing it all from the iPhone. The next steps are super simple. Then, add a Screen Time passcode to access certain features. Do not share this passcode with your children. Another important tip is this passcode should be different from your main device passcode. Below, we’ll briefly show you how to review your kid’s device use (and yours), add app limits, and schedule downtime.
Monitoring Your Child’s Device Usage
How your child uses their device is something you should have a firm understanding of. We have weekly discussions about our screen time use. On your device, go to Settings, then scroll and tap Screen Time. From here, tap your child’s name. You’ll see their weekly activity summary. Tap See All Activity to learn more, like which apps they use the most, how many times they pick up their device, where they go on those pickups, and which apps are sending the most notifications. You can view these stats based on a full week or just focus on today. Reviewing these stats each Sunday has led to many interesting and constructive conversations with the family.
Limiting Time With Certain Apps with Screen Time
What if you do want to put some time limits on some apps? If you want to limit how much time your child spends on certain apps, you’ll love Screen Time. You can set time limits on individual apps or on app categories, like games, entertainment, and social media. It’s really easy to set up.
To create these time limitations, you’ll need to do the following:
Tap App Limits.
Tap Add Limit.
Then enter your Screen Time passcode if prompted.
Now select the app category you’d like to limit. Or tap a category and select apps to set individual limits.
Then, tap Next. From here, set a daily time limit.
You can also customize app limits for specific days of the week and block the app for the day once the limit expires.
When you’re done making changes, tap Add.
Additional Scheduling Features With Downtime
If you don’t want your child using their device at certain times of the day, like bedtime or during school, you can schedule what is called “Downtime”, which will block selected apps and notifications. This is probably one of the most effective parental controls with Screen Time. To do this, tap Downtime, enter your Screen Time passcode if prompted, and tap the switch to turn it on. From here, you’ll want to choose which days you’d like to schedule downtime and pick a start and end time. We’ve customized downtime, so the kids have a little later start on the weekends vs. weekdays. During downtime, they’ll still have access to phone calls and the apps you select on their Always Allowed list. You can edit this list anytime back in Screen Time settings. Of course, you’ll have to customize that list to what fits your family’s needs. The three Always Allowed list apps we use are Phone, Podcasts, and Audible. There are some pretty cool podcasts out there to help kids calm down and get ready for bed. We’ve leveraged that.
When they’ve reached the limit, this screen will appear and block them from using the app. It happens instantly, and it’s wonderful. Your kid will have the option to ask for more time (which they will…over and over again), and you will receive a notification on your Apple device. To let them use the app a little longer (approve for 15 minutes, an hour, all day, or don’t approve), swipe down on the notification and extend their time. Or tap “Don’t Approve” to keep the app locked. One benefit of the Apple iOS ecosystem is all your Apple devices work in unison and communicate flawlessly with each other. If you’re working on your Mac and get an “Ask For More Time” alert, you can approve it right there on your Mac. If you’re on your iPad, it’ll come through on your iPad. Most of these requests will show up on your Apple Watch (if you have one) and that makes it really nice to have that functionality (and power) right on your wrist.
It’s Not About Control. It’s About Empowerment
All too often, we are seeking out solutions for maximum control on how our kids use their devices. And that’s up to you as a parent to decide if that’s the right course of action. Some parenting styles are more full-control and others are a little laxer in nature. With these screen time guidelines in place, you can help your family make the most of the time they spend on their devices. Of course, it’s not the BEST solution if you want a lot of control, but what screen time can deliver is unique in the way that it can lead to conversations about how your family is interacting and using technology. Even for yourself, to be able to see usage stats and how you’re spending time on apps can and will be an eye-opener at first. We think Screen Time is a clever way to make you and your family more aware of their tech habits and how you can use technology in a way that benefits and empowers your life instead of becoming beholden to the devices we are so close to.
Do you know what your teens are doing on TikTok? As a parent, you should.
This guide will help you navigate through the relationship your teen is having with this popular app. What do parents really need to know about TikTok? After shattering download and usage records, TikTok is one of the most-used apps among young people. According to Comscore, 32.5% of its US user base is between the ages of 10 and 19.
In fact, it is believed that young people ages 4 to 15 have spent on average 80 minutes per day on the app! If those TikTok stats weren’t jaw-dropping, those usage stats should be. The chances of your teen either seeing something on TikTok or having the app is pretty high. Do you know what your teens are doing on TikTok?
5 Simple Ways To Talk To Your Teen About TikTok
There are so many ways and parenting advice how-tos for having conversations about life with your teen. Some of those advice tips are great and some of them are not so great. Parenting around TikTok can be rough, especially if the app is already ingrained in the social fabric of our teens’ lives. Have no fear. DDID is here to help! These are just some of the easy and effective approaches that work and will have results. Remember: You’re not going to create this amazing culture of communication and openness in a day. This might take time. Be patient. Try one for the next week and then add another a week later until you’ve hit that desired environment where TikTok isn’t the enemy.
Here are 5 simple ways to talk to your teen about TikTok:
Be Transparent
If you’re going to set limits, restrictions, monitoring, a responsible thing to do as a parent is to let your teen know! Privacy is important to them and if you’re monitoring their behavior without them knowing, they may feel betrayed and/or lose trust in you. Back in the day, we HATED parents who would read our journals. The problem is those journals didn’t impact us the way smartphones and apps do. Explain to your teen why you’re putting on limits and monitoring. Let them know it’s not to make sure they aren’t doing anything bad, but the goal is to protect them. They may not understand this concept, but come up with some examples of how these limits and restrictions can help them.
Set Healthy Screen Limits With TikTok
This is a hard one for parents to manage. Many pediatricians recommend that teens and children are active at least 15 minutes for every hour of screen time. Some parents use screen time as digital currency whereas if they want to unlock 15 more minutes of TikTok time, they need to go outside and exercise for 15 minutes, do the dishes, or do some other chore for 15 minutes. This is an effective hack to make your teen really aware of time because they tend to lose track of when using apps. So how much time? Most pediatricians recommend limiting overall screen time to two hours a day, not including school work and activities. But again…understand the purpose of that time as well. There are a lot of cool things on TikTok, constructive videos, how-to videos. If your teen and their friends are learning to cook a cake and they’re streaming through 30-40 minutes of those kinds of TikToks (the educational time), that may not count towards their overall two-hour limit. Set healthy TikTok limits within the context of what they’re consuming.
Talk About The TikTok Media and Videos They’re Consuming
The simple act of just talking to your teen is one of the most undervalued parenting hacks. Oftentimes, you’ll be able to pick up on something wrong or what’s bothering them with simple conversations. Don’t overthink this either! It’s easy. Start with: “So I noticed you spent a lot of time today on TikTok? Find anything funny or worth sharing with me?” Or “Did you see that Clothes Line Dance on TikTok yet? It is awesome!” This might require you to actually be part of the universe your teen is living in, but that’s what parenting is all about. It’s about connection and helping your teen make sense of their identity and their world.
Create An Open Environment For Discussion
The number one rule with parenting TikTok: Never trigger shame. If your teen is using and consuming media, it’s not a matter of if, but when they’re going to see or hear something inappropriate. The question you should ask is: How do I want them to respond when that moment arrives? When I’m not there. Do you want them to hide it? Or do you want them to talk to you about it? The best way to create an open environment is to talk about moments where we’ve made mistakes or been involved in these uneasy moments and what we did. It comes back to some of these other parenting tips: just talking and being involved.
Be Involved
As mentioned above, this little advice hack can do wonders with parenting TikTok. This doesn’t mean you have to download TikTok and follow the same users and subscribe to the same feeds as your teen. But encourage your teen to share what they’re looking at with you. Watch some videos together. Laugh together. Cry together. What will happen is your teen will know you’re not a threat. This tip also has another dual-layer that accompanies it, as you become involved in their world you’ll pick up on the little nuances of their tech environment. Many times the apps we use will roll out updates that will have an impact on its users. Personal information, facial recognition data storage, access to cameras and mics, new ways feeds are displayed and shared, etc. are a handful of these ways. Being involved will help you stay ahead of the curve, so you’re being proactive instead of reactive.
Remember The Goal Of Parenting Around TikTok
Trying to navigate through these waters of parenting in a tech world is not easy. Just remember: making these little adjustments and having these good conversations will not happen immediately. It’s going to take time to create a culture where your teen learns to leverage technology and media for good. You might be in a situation where technology is controlling your family. We feel your pain. Welcome to the club! Welcome to parenting in the 21st century. Join the millions of parents out there trying to find a better way.
Just by trying, you’re making an impact. The entire goal in all of this, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Fortnite, or Call Of Duty, is to work WITH technology so that it can empower our lives. We can do that through effective communication with our teens where we build a culture in our homes of openness, happiness, and empowerment.
One in three children have been bullied online, and one in four have been threatened online. Unfortunately, every day, cyberbullying cases only increase in number.
In fact, a recent study from the University of New Hampshire stated that 30% of all children have been victims of cyberbullying [1]. This is a serious concern for parents because their child’s well-being can be compromised if their son or daughter falls victim to cyberbullying.
Parents are often caught off guard when their child becomes a victim of cyberbullying because it occurs in the digital world. However, as parents, we must not be naïve about the risks that exist when we give our children access to technology. I’ve compiled key learnings that all of us as parents should know.
What cyberbullying looks like
Parents need to know what cyberbullying looks like in order to detect it before problems escalate into cyber-harassment or cyberstalking. Cyberbullying can take many forms depending on the technology involved. For example, a cyberbully can post negative comments about another person on social media, send mean text messages, create fake profiles to harass others online, or start rumors that are sent by email or posted on social networking pages. One of the most common cyberbullying tactics involves posting embarrassing photos of victims on websites like Instagram and Facebook. Photos are often taken without the victim’s knowledge, and in extreme cases, cyberbullies will threaten to post the pictures online if certain demands are not met. cyberbullying prevention tips Although cyberbullying is a problem that all children deal with, there are a number of cyberbullying prevention tips parents can use to help keep their children cyber secure. First, parents need to have open communication with their children. Parents should try to answer any questions about the cyberbullying their child may be experiencing. This allows you to help them navigate cyberbullying issues, and it keeps cyberbullying from being a secret issue between your child and an online friend. Parents should also teach their children about cyberbullies and cyberbullying behavior. The more your child knows about cyberbullies, the more cyberbullies can be held accountable, and cyberbullying behavior will decrease.
Other cyberbullying prevention tips include:
have a parental control software plan of action
monitor activity on social media accounts
know what apps your child uses and how to use them
report cyberbullying behavior children should not give cyberbullies a reaction.
If a cyberbully is writing mean comments, your child should ignore them and save any evidence. Often cyberbullies are friends of your child; this makes it harder for your child not to give a reaction or tell an adult.
While cyberbullying is a serious problem, there are ways parents can help their children stay cyber secure while online.
In my opinion, the most important help parents can provide is to have ongoing and open communication with their kids about their online activity and not be hesitant to monitor your child’s online activity.
Dale here, doing all I can to help keep mine and your family safe and smart with the technology we use.
Oh Snap, I guess It’s time to talk about snap chat. Ask any of my kids and they’ll tell you it’s my favorite app – Not!
Snapchat is an app that lets users send messages, pictures, and videos to each other. Recipients are able to view these messages for a set time before they disappear. Last year, Snapchat was making headlines for its popularity among teens. Now the messaging app is worth about $10 billion dollars. Its biggest competitor, Instagram, took notice and added a similar feature to its own website. But what is it about Snap Chat that appeals to young people? And what can parents do to help protect their kids from harm? In this article, I’ll explore why this app is so popular and I’ll share specific reasons why I’ve never allowed any of my minor age kids to use this app.
What is Snapchats appeal to teenagers
The Snapchat app has a specific audience: young people between the ages of 13 and 19 years old. The use of the app among this age group is much higher than its use by adults because younger people connect with their friends and peers through the app in a way that is very different from how an adult uses Snapchat.
Snapchat’s biggest selling point is that messages are temporary. The idea is that you message something to someone, they will see it for 10 seconds, then the snap disappears forever. This appeals to teens who are afraid of their parents or teachers seeing what they’re saying.
The Snapchat app is a camera with a messaging feature integrated into it. The messaging feature allows users to take photos and record short videos, apply creative visual effects, draw on their images and send them to friends. These messages can be viewed for a few seconds before they disappear.
Why I don’t like Snap Chat?
Since Snapchat’s inception in 2011, I have always had this app on my least liked messaging app and have never allowed my minor age kids to use this app. Please recognize that it’s not because I don’t trust my minor kids, I have great kids, I’ve just lived inside a teenage brain myself, and recall all the times I wasn’t able to think through all the consequences of my actions before acting. Listed below are my reasons for not allowing this app on my teen’s phones.
It is easier for young kids to receive inappropriate content that can lead to cyberbullying, sexting, and other inappropriate online behavior
There is a significant likelihood that snaps sent will be shared or screenshotted and distributed without consent, this has led to aggressive cyberbullying
Because it’s temporary, teens can be easily tempted or peer pressured into sending inappropriate media by thinking it won’t be out there forever. Too many people fail to understand that once content leaves your phone there is no guarantee it will stay private.
Snapchat has a location feature that uses GPS technology to tell you about your proximity to other users. This means the user’s location can easily be inferred.
Many cases have also been documented where predators have used the app to target, stalk, and sexually exploit children.
One known case involved a juvenile court judge who was jailed for soliciting sex from young boys on Snapchat.
If you are okay with your kids using Snap Chat then it’s important for you to have candid conversations with your kids to ensure they understand that just because it claims messages are temporary that won’t always be the case, as anyone could screenshot and reshare the content.
It will also be important for you as the parent to know how it works and how easy it is to use. Make sure you download Snapchat or at least take a look at the interface so that you will be familiar with it when your teen starts to use it.
